In a major crackdown on drug trafficking, the Edo State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested 75 suspected traffickers and seized 16,818.17 kilogrammes of illicit drugs during operations carried out in October 2026.
NDLEA Commander Dr Mitchell Ofoyeju disclosed that the arrests included 54 men and 21 women, among them Monday Orji (52), Monday Lawal (40) and Precious Uduegele (20). The command also destroyed eight cannabis farms covering 5.728819 hectares, which were estimated to yield 14,322.0475 kilogrammes of crop.
Seized drugs comprised 2,492.6973 kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa, 3.2169 kilogrammes of psychotropic substances, 0.20371 kilogrammes of methamphetamine, 35 cylinders of nitrous oxide, six cups of brownies and 4.1 litres of codeine syrup. A black Toyota Camry found in Otuo, Owan East Local Government Area, was impounded while carrying 1,049 compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 702.83 kilogrammes.
The destroyed farms were located in Uzebba Forest and Ukhuise‑Osi Community in Owan West Local Government Area; Ugbada Forest, also in Owan West; Ugboshi Ele Forest in Akoko Edo; and Eco Camp, Illushi, in Esan South East Local Government Area.
Ofoyeju said the command secured six convictions and charged 14 cases to court, while 103 cases remain pending. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Buba Marwa has urged the Edo Command to intensify efforts against drug cartels and to maintain an intelligence‑led tempo to dismantle trafficking networks, a directive that has reportedly energized officers to intensify the fight against drug trafficking.
<small>Source: Daily Post Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
